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Posted By: McKlintock Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/26/11 10:57 AM
Hello,

I found this forum while searching for the pinout of a PPTC-9 adapter. It looks very helpful. I couldn't find another post with my exact situation, so I'm creating a new post. I have little to no telephone system experience, I am a computer technician. The first part of this post will be telling the story, then I'll get to the questions.

I trade computer services with a local doctor. He has always had little problems here and there with his Toshiba CIX 40 phone/voicemail system. I have been able to help him with wiring, resetting voicemail passwords, dialing in from the outside, etc. Some of this information I got from Googling manuals and reading through them.

He has always had a particular problem where it seems he has two mailboxes when a caller is sent to voicemail. After looking into it I realized that first the greeting at mailbox 990 (apparently the auto attendant) is played and then the greeting at mailbox 500 is played (apparently the message center) and then the caller is prompted to record after the tone. On top of that, there is about a 5-10 second delay between each greeting (having officially timed it, but it's long enough to be annoying). Basically, it made him sound very unprofessional when someone called in and got the voicemail.

I couldn't figure it out, and finally he thought it was worth it to call a professional, so he called the company which (indirectly) sold him the system originally. At first the pro sounded really promising, explaining that the auto attendant could be setup with multiple numbered options to playback hours and directions, etc., and he could even enable the music on hold port for an iPod, etc. All that sounded great so the doctor said go ahead and make it happen. Then it fell apart.

The pro setup empty mailboxes for the auto attendant options (option 1 when to 555, option 2 went to 556, etc.) and then had them go back to 990 after the greeting was finished. The problem was that he experienced the same 10 second delay in between pressing the option number and playing the greeting at the next mailbox. This was basically the whole reason we called him out to begin with. He proceeded to scratch his head and start changing system settings, saying over and over that the system was setup wrong to begin with and nothing was acting the way it should, etc. After an hour went by we told him to forget the auto attendant deal, just make it so that it goes straight to the message center, which is the other part of why we called him out originally. He even had trouble with this, but finally got that part working. Two hours and $180 later. No music on hold, no auto attendant options, still have the delay, but it goes straight to mailbox 500 when nobody answers. The delay is still present between the end of the greeting and the system "please record after the tone" message.

I asked the pro to give me a copy of the admin software he was using so that I could try and fix it later on my own, which brings me to here. I have the Stratagy VM Manager and Network eManager software, the crossover cable, and RJ-12 to DB-9 adapter with 6-wire cable. He gave me the basic default connection information for eManager. I learned a little bit by watching him use this software. He did treat me like a child at one point when changing the system settings and told me to never go in and change these on my own.

The bottom line is I now apparently have the tools and would like to try and fix this for my doctor. Can anyone help point me in the right direction to get rid of the delay between greetings?

Also, I have pulled up some admin manuals for this system in Google but they seem basic and incomplete. Is there a more detailed service manual available that anyone would like to share? That would be awesome.

Thanks for the help.

--
Klint
Posted By: BobRobert Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/26/11 11:16 AM
Normally, the VMail will play the initial greeting (mailbox 990) and then play the instructional greeting (991) immediately after 990. Check to see if 5 sec of silence was recorded in MB 991 causing the long delay. Watching the channel status in the admin software will tell you what the VMail is doing after answering an incoming call.
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/26/11 02:15 PM
That's funny that you say that. I tried to record silence on the greeting at 990, in order to see if I could get it to skip the greeting, but it never would recognize the recording if it was just silence. I had to make some type of sound in order to save it. I'll check and see if there is a 991.

With that said, the system goes straight to 500 now when nobody answers. And there is a seven second delay (just called and counted it out) between the end of the greeting and the "please record after the tone."

I also just tried to dial the doctor's extension (205) during the message center greeting. After about 20 seconds of silence I finally heard his mailbox greeting, but the "please record" message played immediately after.

Any other ideas on these strange delays?

Thanks.

--
Klint
Posted By: Carlos#1 Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/26/11 03:18 PM
You also need to check the chain done values as MB991 normally waith for 5 seconds by default before going to mailbox 0.

When mailbox 500 was create which mailbox was it copied from?

So have you got the software and cable on a PC so you can log into the voicemail?
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/26/11 05:12 PM
Yes, I just got my RJ-12/DB-9 adapter. I have the software on my laptop. The Network eManager seemed to have some problems, but I'm going to try installing it on a clean XP install.

I don't know what mailbox 500 was copied from, I wasn't around when it was initially setup. Is there a way to tell?

I will check out the chain done value on 991. Can I just delete 991?

Thanks.
Posted By: Carlos#1 Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/26/11 06:05 PM
Hi Klint

Don't remove MB991 as it is the instructions mailbox that all mailboxes default to after exiting their mailbox.

How are you getting the call to go into MB500?
Is MB500 the default AA mailbox in the VM parameters (set_box_greet_1 = 500)?

Can you explain how the call is supposed to be handled from ringing the handsets to what happens after MB500 plays the message and then what.....?
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/27/11 06:12 AM
As of now, I haven't done anything. Since I just got my adapter yesterday, I will try it out today. For now, I can tell you what I remember from the phone tech working on it, and please excuse if I don't use the right lingo. :-)

After he couldn't get rid of the delay in setting up the auto attendant menu options (the delay in between mailboxes), he switched it to just go to MB500. He also tried several ways to accomplish this, one of which I recall was setting up some sort of call group (I think he used 550) which had stations 200 and 205 and then MB500 was the last option in that list. That didn't seem to work, so he finally just set day 1 and 2 and night to MB500. Does that make sense?

How the call is supposed to be handled...

Well, ideally we'd like to use the auto attendant with menu options. We can revisit that if we can figure out where the delay is coming from. Right now the call goes something like this:

- Incoming calls ring stations 200 and 205
- If not answered, it is routed to MB500
- If set to night, it is routed straight to MB500
- The MB500 greeting is played
- After the end of the greeting (you can here the click at the end of the recording) there is about a seven second delay
- The system says something like "Please record after the tone, finish by pressing #"
- Tone

So, the immediate problem is to eliminate that seven second delay. Also note that there is a (phantom?) MB501 to handle VMs on the second line.

I'll be logging into the system today myself and will report back what I find. Thanks for the help.
Posted By: BobRobert Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/27/11 06:43 AM
What is the chain delay set to under groups and chains on mailboxes 500, 990, and 991?
Posted By: Voyager Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/27/11 10:43 AM
That "Please record after the tone, finish by pressing #" has me concerned. Usuall that is the default system greeting ion a mailbox when you do not record your own greeting. I would investigate that.

You are now crossing over into installer information. This forum is intended to address end user questions and programming that would normally be found in the user guide.

I would like to see you take this off-board with a moderator or installer for resolution. Thanks.
Posted By: Carlos#1 Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/27/11 03:01 PM
So Klint

What do you have set in the Chain Done and Chain Delay in MB500?

Sounds like it plays the greeting of MB500 then delays before going to another mailbox to take a message. That is where the delay is coming in before the default greeting "Please record after the tone, finish by pressing #" of the take a message mailbox.

You could play the message in MB500 and then take the message in MB500 and copy it to the receptionist's mailbox if required.

As Voyager has said it would be better to get someone from the forum to support you remotely as it would be a lot quicker in the long run.
Having the software will be useful in making password or name changes but leave the configuration so someone who is experienced in the Toshiba Voicemails.
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/27/11 09:14 PM
I wasn't able to get into the system today. Hopefully tomorrow. When I do get it I will post back just so you all know. Thank you very much for the help so far.

In the meantime, my doctor got a follow up email from the hired phone tech today:

Quote
I've done some digging on the issue with your voicemail and found out the following: Apparently, this type of an issue happens when the voicemail is not properly deleted/erased when being programmed for a new setup. It would appear that when the original installer deleted the old info he corrupted the voicemail BIOS itself. Unfortunately, this isn't an issue that can be repaired or reprogrammed, it can only be replaced.
The system was bought used, so the tech is referencing the fact that the guy (who is now unreachable) who installed this system deleted the previous setup in order to set it up in its current state and in the process corrupted things. Does this make sense, or is this guy just trying to scare us into spending an extra $700?

In my line of work, if you screw up settings on equipment you can just fall back to factory defaults with some sort of reset procedure. Is there no such thing on this phone system?

I understand that the details of this problem can go beyond the scope of this forum. If anyone would like to help me in more detail off-board, please PM me.

Thanks.
Posted By: newtecky Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/28/11 12:59 AM
If there is a delay in other mailboxses, and you can see that no delay in the chain done setup, then I could see there being other issues, such as a hardware or software problem. You could possible delete then recreate the mailbox in question. This would require recording the greeting again.

The problem I have with the above statement is saying that the BIOS got corrupted due to reprogramming the voicemail. The database or software could get corrupted, but the BIOS is not part of the software. It woud be more closely related to hardware.

There isn't really a factory default button. The voicemail system has software installed just like a PC. The original settings can usually be restored, and in some cases some software issues can be corrected with an update.

Before getting a new VM system, I would have a Toshiba tech call the tech support just to make sure there isn't something that can be done. Some issues can be fixed. Others can't. Hard to say without an experienced tech looking at it.
Posted By: Carlos#1 Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/28/11 02:11 AM
Hi Klint

That quote sounds very suss as far as I am concerned. If he knew what he was doing he would have fixed it up the first visit.

Some of us here have worked on Toshibas for decades so contact one of the moderator like Voyager and get someone to help you on your side of the world.

I will continue to help you as much as I can or I am allowed.
Posted By: Ottersnose Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/28/11 02:31 AM
Usually delays between mailbox greetings on a CIX40 with the GVPH voicemail are fixed by placing a dummy mailbox in front of the answering mailbox and setting this up with DND enabled and also set "no messages"
Set the Chain done/ RNA destination as the answering mailbox and then point the calls at the new mailbox. This speeds up the answer time by approx 2 seconds.
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/28/11 11:27 AM
Well... I couldn't seem to get in with my PPTC adapter (I tried a straight through and crossed 6-wire cable and the pinout from Junkman on this board), but with the help of an email from another forum member I was able to dial into user 993. Now if I only had a landline at home... :-)

For anyone still interested and would like to respond, here are the requested parameters as I found them in the system:

MB500
Extension: 500H
Chain done: 999
Chain delay: 30

MB990
Extension: (Blank)
Chain done: 500
Chain delay: 30

MB991
Extension: @G(990)
Chain done: 0
Chain delay: 50

I seemed to have gotten rid of the delay between the greeting and the "Please record" message by setting the chain done to 0. Also, I noticed in the port status window that the delay when using the auto attendant option mailboxes is a "dialing" state. Seems like you don't want it to dial the extension, but rather just play the greeting and go back to the auto attendant. I don't know why the phone tech couldn't set it to just play the greeting and not dial the extension.

I'll experiment further on my own and get with Voyager off-board to see if he can recommend anyone for further help.

Thanks again.
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/28/11 12:27 PM
Correction to my last post. I set the chain delay to 0, not chain done.
Posted By: Carlos#1 Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/28/11 02:01 PM
The reason for the chain delay is to allow people to dial the 1,2 etc after hearing the whole greeting. You can of course dial 1,2 at anytime if you know the option.
Setting the delay to 0 will get the mailbox to chain or move onto the next mailbox as soon as the greeting has finished.
If you put 999 in the chain done then it will go to the hangup mailbox and hangup on the caller.

Glad you are getting the hang of it now.
Posted By: newtecky Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/28/11 06:43 PM
One thing; don't set chain done in mailbox 500 to go back to 990

Interesting how they pretty much made 991 unused and are using 500 as the default mailbox, ie when you enter an invalid mailbox the system will go back to or repeat 500. If DND is off it will ring the operators phone again.

Some people do different things to eliminate the 2 mailboxs for the main greeting. I prefer to use the Toshiba recommended solution of skipping 990 and using 991 as the default.
Posted By: Ben Holmes Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/29/11 01:28 PM
Quote
Interesting how they pretty much made 991 unused and are using 500 as the default mailbox, ie when you enter an invalid mailbox the system will go back to or repeat 500. If DND is off it will ring the operators phone again.

Some people do different things to eliminate the 2 mailboxs for the main greeting. I prefer to use the Toshiba recommended solution of skipping 990 and using 991 as the default.
They aren't the only ones. We purchased another Toshiba telco, and all of their programming was for 990 to go to 777. Real oddball!

It pays to take the time to read the manuals!
Posted By: Carlos#1 Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/29/11 05:38 PM
How'd you get on with it this time Klint?
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/29/11 10:47 PM
I seemed to have gotten it to work in my testing, although the CIX is still setup to go straight to 500 if there is no answer on the main number. I need to get into the eManager and change the CIX to hand off to 990 like it was before the "pro" gave up on it and just changed it to dump to 500. Here is a brief recap of my observations and solutions:

- The delay between the end of the main mailbox greeting and the "please record" message was the chain delay, setting this to 0 corrected that.

- The delay when getting transferred to another mailbox is because its trying to ring that extension, which for actual physical extensions you want but not for menu options.

- The times when it is ringing an extension I would think it should ring in the earpiece, but it doesn't. Instead it is just silence. Maybe this is an option.

- I removed the delay between menu options by editing the corresponding mailboxes to remove the extension number and lock on DND

- When I initially enabled DND on the mailbox I got an "invalid option" system message when attempting to access that menu option/mailbox. I'm not sure why that happened now, but it went away when I tried it again and this time locked DND and also removed the extension number.

- Removing the extension number may not actually make a difference, it just seemed to make sense to me because these menu options aren't actual extensions, just users in the system. And it didn't seem to hurt anything.

I started this thread before I actually got into the system myself, just to try and get an idea where to look once I did get into it. I was especially daunted by the task because the "pro" who came out seemed to have so much trouble with it, that's why I reached out to this board. In retrospect this seems like an insignificant thing and I can't imagine why the Toshiba certified "pro" had so much trouble.

Thanks to everyone for their help, and Voyager especially for giving me more advise off-board. This message board is a great resource, even for non-installers like me. :-)
Posted By: Voyager Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/30/11 11:36 AM
There is a setting for Ring on Transfer or Music on Hold. If you are hearing silence, my guess is that the system is set for MOH. Just connect a radio, CD player, or MP3 player to the MOH port on the processor. Then you will hear music while the actual extension is ringing.
Posted By: McKlintock Re: Delay between mailbox greetings - 06/30/11 11:52 AM
Thanks for the heads up on that Voyager, I'll check it out.
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